2015 Annual Report

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MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM Annual Report

Who We Are, Mission, Key Facts 3 Paid Advertising 7 Owned Channels 11 Earned Channels & Sales 13 Industry Support 21 Research 23 Maine Film Office Annual Report 27

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WHO WE ARE

K E Y FAC T S

The Maine Office of Tourism, an office within the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development, is charged with administering a program to support and expand the tourism industry and promote the state as a tourism destination. The office develops and executes effective marketing programs for the benefit of the travel and film industries, as well as the economy and the citizens of Maine by attracting visitors to the state and thereby preserving and creating jobs.

Overall visitation grew to 33,853,851

MISSION

Become the premier four-season destination in New England. The year 2015 progressively built upon the five-year strategic plan, set forth in 2014, through highly targeted marketing efforts to reach Maine’s most lucrative consumer segments. Marketing messages were tailored to three key segments—Balanced Achievers, Genuine Originals, Social Sophisticates—to better resonate with and influence potential visitors to convert.

3%

*

Total first-time visitation grew to 4,460,676

8.3%

More than 13% of Maine’s visitors were first-time visitors

Combined restaurant and lodging taxable sales

5.69%

*This estimate includes all tourism-related overnight travel and non-resident tourism-related day travel.

The 2015 Year in Review

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In 2015, tourism-related businesses generated

98,932 jobs & more than $5.6 billion in direct expenditures.

Paid Advertising

TV CONTINUES TO PERFORM The RFI (request for information) TV program, launched in 2014, continued to perform above industry benchmarks generating 45,031 Travel Planner requests over an 8 week Summer flight and 4 week Fall flight combined. New to 2015 was heightened targeting against the three key consumer segments both geographically and creatively. Two different TV spots aired – one tailored to Balanced Achievers with a family focus and the other to Genuine Originals with an outdoor adventure focus. The spots aired in different markets with populations that indexed high against their respective segment.

2015 RFI TV METRICS

402,988

Interactive Visits

4:20

Average Engagement Time

264,582

Total Video Views

24,746

Total Hours of Engagement

1,310,193

Total Page Views

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RADIO GOES PUBLIC

AWAR D S

Broadcast radio extended in the public domain with :10 “sponsored by” tags airing on NPR programming. This channel selection addressed findings from the 2014 segmentation study, capitalizing on the high index of public radio amongst our key consumer segments.

Crossword Puzzle Print Campaign: Archive 2015, Graphis 2015, One Show 2015, Communication Arts 2015 Brand Print Campaign: Graphis 2015

Paid

cont.

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C A P I TA L I Z I N G O N D I G I TA L I N N O VAT I O N S

ROUNDING OUT THE MEDIA MIX

Digital marketing efforts ramped up in 2015 extending beyond the traditional display platform into native placements. Long-form content surrounding The Maine Thing Quarterly issues were embedded on highly niche websites appearing as native content. The ThoreauWabanaki Trail and Acadia National Park articles garnered staggeringly high engagement, well surpassing tourism industry benchmarks. Overall, native efforts generated 5,335,221 impressions and 553 conversions to MOT websites.

• 222 spots across 69 stations in 162 games

Red Sox Radio

• 162 announcer-read features • 324 mentions of Maine by announcers NPR

• 74 paid spots across 813 stations • 45 bonus spots across 839 stations Print

• 51 publications—US • 10 publications—Canada • 107 full-page ads • 20 fractional ads • (8) 2-page spreads Digital

• 150,907 clicks • 39,964,569 impressions • 27,323 conversions • .38% CTR • List of partners »» Dream Plan Go, Bootprints, Carbon Media, Food Innovation Group, Liqwid, Unruly Media, Undertone, Boston.com, Expedia. com, National Geographic, Adara Media, Orbitz.com, Trip Advisor, Smithsonian.com, Cheaptickets.com, Tasting Table, BostonGlobe. com, Clearstream, Yankee Magazine, Nativo Paid Search

• 510,202 clicks • 33,287,159 impressions • 201,075 conversions • 3.31 pages per visit • 178 second average visit duration • 24% bounce rate

EMAIL Consumer Email Program

• Deployed 12 monthly emails to opt-in subscriber database

• Deployed 2 promotional emails in support of the sweepstakes

• Deployed 3 promotional emails featuring the Acadia, Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail and Food issues of The Maine Thing Quarterly digital magazine

• Deployed 3 niche emails to segmented lists to promote Restaurant Week and fishing license sales

Increased the opt-in database by 16.5% YOY as of December 2015 • Average consumer open rates range from 15% to 23% • Average consumer click-through rates range from 8% to 21% Industry Email Program

• Industry enewsletters and Quarterly content kit emails • Deployed 8 monthly enewsletters to industry partner database

• Deployed 3 promotional emails featuring the Acadia, Thoreau, Food issues of the Quarterly

• Deployed 3 emails promoting the quarterly digital content kits

VISITMAINE .COM Redesigned VisitMaine.com homepage launched July 2015

• New tile homepage layout showcases destination imagery and allows for featured content to rotate out each month, keeping it fresh

• Addition of “Discovery Tool” allows users to select travel preferences returning personalized content recommendations based on their interests

• Integration of user-generated images and video via a social media aggregate tool, Chute

• Introduction of page-level interactive maps that display things to do and accommodations nearby what the user is currently viewing Year to Date (1/1/2015-12/31/2015)

• Generated 2,594,471 website sessions across 1,791,880 users

• Average time spent on site is 2m45s • Decreased average bounce rate from 30% to 23% • Percentage of new sessions is 68.6% • Generated 68,314 organic requests for “Maine Invites You,” a 43% increase YOY

• Generated 26,672 “Maine Invites You“ online views, a 14% increase YOY

• 80 new articles added to the website

M A I N E Q U A R T E R LY

Generated nearly 150,000 visitor sessions in 2015. • Average time spent on site is 3m49s • Average bounce rate of 21% • Percentage of new sessions is 73% Publication Views:

»» Home: 72,218 »» Food: 53,651 »» Thoreau: 110,089 »» Acadia: 45,038 »» Lobster: 34,779 »» Road-trips: 32,518 »» Beer: 19,905 Awards

Communication Arts, 2015 Interactive Annual HSMAI 2015 Adrian Awards Gold Medal

M A R K E T I N G PA R T N E R S H I P S

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Maine Invites You – a 176-page travel guide published in partnership with the Maine Tourism Association and distributed to 208,325 as a key consumer fulfillment piece. Yankee Magazine, Maine Magazine and Down East Magazine – local publications contributed niche articles to round out content on VisitMaine.com from a 3rd party perspective. In total, these partners delivered 28 articles for use on the website.

Owned Channels

D O M E S T I C & I N T E R N AT I O N A L P R E S S • Attended the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) National Conference and the Eastern Chapter Conference representing Maine at both events’ media marketplaces.

• Promoted Maine destinations at a press luncheon in Toronto.

Through proactive media pitching and responding to inquiries, the public relations program organized 39 press trips to Maine covering all regions of the state. • Press trips, following media leads and responding to inquiries resulted in coverage in a mix of online, print and broadcast outlets including USA Today, Montreal Gazette, Outside magazine, Yankee, ABC News, Huffington Post, msn.com, Travel + Leisure, Weather Channel, Ottawa Citizen, Boston Globe and New York Times.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R AV E L T R A D E • In collaboration with Discover New England, MOT organized and hosted familiarization tours for 65 international tour operators from the following countries: UK, Italy, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Japan.

• Worked with Brand USA to produce foreign language promotional videos in both Japanese and Chinese.

Accomplishments on Platforms

• Facebook »» Successfully transitioned the outdated VisitMaine Facebook page to a business page (from personal page), then merged the Maine Office of Tourism Facebook page into the VisitMaine page for brand consistency

»» Organically grew fan base to nearly 80,000 “Likes” »» Used Town/City Shout-Out Tuesdays, Trivia Fridays, and Caption This Photo themes to generate engagement

»» Averaging 7,000 engaged users, 435,000 impressions, and reached 156,000 each month

• Twitter »» Hosted MOT’s first #MaineThing Winter Twitter Chat resulting in more than 20,000 impressions

»» Averaging 65,000 impressions each month • Pinterest »» Received 1,700 average daily impressions and there are 1,100 average daily users

• Instagram »» Started utilizing user generated content by adding “Tag your Maine photos using #MaineThing to give us permission to repost” allowing us to showcase images from all areas of the state, and a wider range of interests and activities

»» Grew the fan base to nearly 5,000 »» To promote Instagram account and #MaineThing, MOT purchased an Instagram photo booth frame for travel trade shows

• YouTube »» Began adding tags and captions to videos uploaded to the VisitMaine channel for SEO

SOCIAL MEDIA Platform Added: Snapchat

• Researched tourism-related and brand Snapchat use • Created account and claimed VisitMaine name • Researched geo-filter and developed plan to use Maine “badge”

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS MOT collaborates with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to issue weekly fall foliage press releases from mid-September through October. Foliage reports can be checked at MaineFoliage.com and shared through Twitter and Facebook.

E +

2

Earned Channels + Sales

2015 PR Overview

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Earned Channels cont. + Sales

Leisure Travel Sales

T W O N AT I O N VA C AT I O N

2015 saw an expansion of activity for this joint marketing campaign between Maine and New Brunswick. The initiative promotes travel beyond the better known regions of Maine into the Downeast coastal region by building on the allure of an international trip. Highlights included:

»» Partnered with Tourism New Brunswick on a digital awareness campaign with online ads and video targeting the New York and Philadelphia markets. In total 1.2 million people viewed the video and 11.2 million saw the ads, with 700,000 clicks for more information.

»» Completed a website upgrade that allows the addition of events and business listings on Two-Nation-Vacation.com.

»» Facilitated a Two Nation Vacation Packaging Seminar at Campobello Roosevelt International Park. Twenty-five Maine businesses and organizations participated in the event that attracted over 60 people in total. Presenter Joe Veneto explained how to create enticing packages that will attract visitors to the Bold Coast and Fundy regions.

»» Added Instagram to social media channels and invited usergenerated contributions.

»» Exhibited at the Saltscapes Expo in Nova Scotia.

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L E I S U R E T R AV E L S H O W S & S A L E S

TEAMS Sports Conference

Participated in Maine Sports Commission booth at the TEAMS Sports Conference, promoting Maine venues in appointments with 40 separate event organizers, with promising leads for Maine from a variety of competitions. Canadian Outdoor Adventure Shows:

»» Toronto »» Ottawa »» Montreal

Domestic Travel shows:

»» New York »» Boston »» Philadelphia »» Washington, DC • For all of these shows, MOT worked with regional partners for staffing of the booth and for information dissemination. Eastern States Exposition or Big E, Springfield MA

Over 1.3 million visitors passed through the New England States fair this year asking for information for their fall foliage touring and making plans for fishing, snowmobiling, hunting, touring, hiking, rafting and for next summer’s vacation. Literature was coordinated from all appropriate state departments to offer a wide variety of Maine information to the New England market at this event. Extremely hot and then rainy weather this year held crowd numbers down a little compared to 2014, but record crowds still attended on a few days in 2015.

Canadian consumer shows specific to outdoor adventure were conducted in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa to retain the Foreign Independent Travel travelers from our neighboring provinces to the beaches and to key Maine shopping destinations. Recognizing that the Canadian market knows Maine well for beaches and shopping, we built on that by showcasing outdoor recreation opportunities. Participated in a networking luncheon and training session with 30+ Canadian media representatives and tour operators sponsored by the US Consulate at the International Tourism and Travel Show in Montreal.

Distributed over 200,000 copies of Maine’s Official Travel Planner “Maine Invites You” at shows and in response to requests.

Earned Channels cont. + Sales Leisure Travel Sales

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MEETINGS WITH TOUR O P E R AT O R S AT S H O W S • American Bus Association – 49 appointments »» At ABA, MOT is a sponsor with a booth on the trade show floor for the entire four days of the show with a raffle giveaway of a dozen lobsters which is very popular. During the reception on Saturday, lobster crostini and pretzels with Raye’s stone-ground Maine mustard were served to guests, showcasing Maine products. There were also giveaways, including, Maine Invites You, maps and profile sheets for group friendly businesses who are part of Maine Motorcoach Network. Hundreds of tour operator business cards are collected through MMN members working in the booth selling Maine along with MOT staff.

»» Overall attendance was over 4,000 including DMOs, attractions, and tour operators. Some attendees asked about summer vacation planning, even though this is a tour operator focused show.

• National Tour Association – 46 appointments (some international)

• Ontario Motorcoach Association – 25 appointments (Fewer tour operators were present this year due to the monetary exchange rate)

• Many additional informal conversations take place at evening & luncheon networking and during special events at all of these travel trade shows.

Operators were surveyed and reported changing existing tours and writing new Maine tours as the result of seeing new possibilities in Maine.

D E S T I N AT I O N A S S I S TA N C E MOT participated in the Brand Development Team that helped determine a new brand for the Moosehead Lake Region of Maine.

MOT is participating in the Brand Leadership Team that is implementing the action steps to accomplish the rebranding process over the next several years.

Maine’s target markets overseas include the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and, new in 2015, Australia and New Zealand, in partnership with Discover New England. Additionally, Maine targets overseas markets in France and Italy, as well as Scandinavia and Iceland, working in collaboration with other New England state partners.

O V E R S E A S T R AV E L T R A D E AND LEISURE SALES Maine hosted the 2015 Discover New England Summit and Travel Marketplace in Portland, April 27-29.

Close to 40 Maine businesses and organizations from across the state had the opportunity to meet oneon-one and do business directly with more than 80 international tour operators and representatives from 8 different countries serving key overseas markets. The conference itself was attended by 400+ people in total providing networking opportunities with tourism suppliers from across New England as well as the tourism buyers from the US and overseas. Portland activities and post-conference FAM tours to other Maine destinations showcased our state as a premiere New England destination. Participated in the US Travel Association’s 47th Annual IPW conference, the travel industry’s premiere international marketplace. More than 6,500 delegates from 73 countries, including over 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 media from the US and abroad, attended. Over the course of the 3-day B2B conference the Maine delegation had pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings with over 75 international travel buyers and media from 10 different countries.

Australia/New Zealand

»» Participated in Discover New England’s first sales and training mission to New Zealand and Australia in October consisting of product meetings and trainings with approximately 250 people, including meetings with key tour operators, three media and trade events (including airline members), and two interviews with local media outlets. United Kingdom

»» Participated in the Discover New England stand at World Travel Market in London, with a full appointment schedule for DNE during the three-day event. Attended the Destinations London consumer show in the Discover New England booth, distributing information on Maine to 300+ interested attendees.

»» Promoted Maine destinations on a sales mission to Ireland in collaboration with Discover New England, meeting with major tour operators and travel agency representatives for the Irish market. Participated in the Dublin World Holiday Show with DNE. Germany

»» Participated in the Discover New England booth at ITB in Berlin promoting Maine in meetings with 20 tour operators and at a Brand USA sponsored media breakfast. Asia

»» Promoted tourism during the Maine trade mission to Japan and China, including a luncheon presentation to a dozen Japanese travel and trade companies.

»» Attended a sales mission in Los Angeles to increase visitation from the Japanese market that consisted of meeting at 4 tour operators’ head offices with over 25 people, and participated in sales calls to New York based Japanese tour operators.

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France

»» Participated in a sales mission to France in collaboration with Vermont and New Hampshire meeting with 32 French tour operators and travel agency representatives. Italy

»» Promoted Maine at Showcase USA Italy in meetings with 30 tour operators, 45+ travel agents, and members of the media serving the Italian market. Scandinavia

»» Exhibited at consumer shows at Swanson’s Worldwide Travel in Osby Sweden and FDM Travel in Copenhagen, and the Discover America Day in Copenhagen meeting one-on-one with travel trade and media. Continued relationship-building at the MidAtlantic show in Iceland with 15 one-on-one meetings with travel trade and media.

OV E R S E A S FA M TO U R S Hosted a FAM tour of 8 tour operators and travel writers from the Scandinavian market, promoting over a dozen winter adventure and city break tourism businesses in Maine.

Earned Channels cont. + Sales Leisure Travel Sales

Earned Channels cont. + Sales

Leisure Travel Sales

MAI N E M OTO RCOACH NET WORK PROJECTS supported by Maine Office of Tourism

Profile Resource Book

• A spiral-bound resource book of self-selected group friendly property profile sheets for tour operators

• Includes important statewide information for tour creation • More than 100 profiles organized by tourism region • Distributed on Sales Mission and FAM Tour. Is used as a basis for touring on the FAM.

• Sent in response to tour operator inquiries • 100 copies printed and delivered to tour operators • Flip-book on VisitMaine.com for first time 2015 Sales Mission

• Made 1- hour sales calls to 18 tour operators in Ontario, Canada at their home offices located throughout the province.

• Six members of the Maine Motorcoach Network

traveled with MOT contractor, Lisa Witt of New England Tourism Center, St. Laurent, Quebec who organized and helped execute the trip. 2015 FAM Tour

• Organized and conducted a FAM Tour from Thursday, June 12 - Friday, June 18, 2015.

• Participants included 15 people from 9 different companies in FL, SD, NY, NJ, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

• The route began and ended in Portland, but included Sebago Lake, Bethel & Sunday River, Lewiston, Norlands, Augusta, Searsport, Bar Harbor & Acadia, Rockland, Camden, Boothbay, Wiscasset, Freeport, Brunswick, Kittery, York, Kennebunk/Kennebunkport, and Ogunquit.

• A final industry trade show and luncheon was held at the Clarion in Portland.

• Useful feedback was offered by participants through surveys that assists in developing future FAMs.

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Industry Support

HUNTING & FISHING SUPPORT Presented MOT marketing and PR initiatives that support Maine’s hunting and fishing industry at the Maine Professional Guides Association board meeting.

Completion and presentations of Southwick & Associates findings from the recent Recreational Hunter and Angler Market Report for Maine which was a joint project of the Office of Tourism and the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, funded by the Office of Tourism.

Staff suggested, facilitated and supported Bonnie Holding of Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Don Kleiner of Maine Professional Guides Association in producing an hour-long stage demonstration at the Boston Globe Travel Show. Each professional guide prepared a dish they would serve their clients and talked with the audience about what professional Maine Guides do as they worked. Represented Maine’s sporting interests at the Montreal Hunting, Fishing and Camping Show for the 5th year. Over 40,000 attendees over the course of 4 days. Keen interest in camping overall for vacation, fresh-water fly-fishing (particularly in rivers), salt water fishing for striped bass, grouse hunting, canoeing and kayaking, sporting camps, Acadia National Park and state parks.

The Maine Office of Tourism holds regular meetings with a Regional Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from each of the state’s eight designated tourism regions. The meetings deliver timely updates on state tourism marketing initiatives, research, and best practices, and are an opportunity for the Office of Tourism to be briefed on regional activities and receive feedback on the state’s tourism program. In addition to the monthly RAC meetings, the Office of Tourism provides support to the regional tourism organizations through our Maine Tourism Marketing Partnership Program, which includes Special Events and the Enterprise grant program for smaller independent tourism—related groups and events.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS: Four tourism regions took part in a co-op advertising program offered by the Office of Tourism in coordination with the state’s advertising buys on Red Sox Radio, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and Canoe & Kayak Magazine. MOT awarded a combined total of $185,000 in Tourism Enterprise Marketing Grants and Special Event Marketing Grants to 23 recipients in Spring and Fall 2015 to support viable marketing projects that will help to increase visitor traffic to the State of Maine. A workshop of best practices for applying for Tourism Marketing Enterprise Grants was held in advance of the Spring application deadline to strengthen the pool of potential applicants. MOT facilitated Regional Advisory Committee meetings with representatives from tourism related initiatives including the Maine Cultural Network, the Maine Island Trail and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail; with the state’s marketing and PR contractors on integrating regional efforts with the state’s marketing and social media campaign; and with Davidson-Peterson Associates on statewide and regional visitation research findings. Regional representatives participated in the Maine booth at consumer shows with materials and volunteer booth staff.

Research

MAINE TOURISM MARKETING PA R T N E R S H I P P R O G R A M

Industry cont. Support

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Annual Visitor Survey Seasonal Topline Visitor Reports: Spring/Summer; Fall; Winter Regional Visitation and Economic Impact Reports Inquiry Conversion Study New in 2014/2015: Market Segmentation Study New in 2015: Value of Tourism Study

2015 HIGHLIGHTS Spoke on the positive impacts of tourism in Maine in interviews with WGME-13, Bangor ABC-7 and Fox-22, Time Warner Cable, TideSmart Talk with Stevoe, China Central Television (CCTV America), the Portland Press Herald, the Bangor Daily News, the Montreal Gazette, Seacoast Media Group, and Working Waterfront magazine. Joined tourism and hospitality industry leaders at Tourism Day in the legislature as well as in attendance at the Maine Hospitality and Tourism Alliance Legislative Reception. Launched a new monthly emailed industry newsletter distributed to over 5,000 Maine tourism businesses and organizations.

• Hosted the 2015 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The annual 2-day conference was held in Augusta with over 400 attendees.

• Reported on positive campaign results from 2014, which saw a 10% increase in visitation to Maine over 2013.

• Introduced the findings of the 2014 Segmentation Study, identifying the 3 values-based market segments with the highest potential ROI for Maine.

• Shared the 2015 marketing plan and creative. • Keynote speaker Jonah Sachs focused on storytelling as a compelling way to influence desired audiences. Presented the 2015 Marketing Plan and Segmentation Study findings to industry members and key organizations in over 15 locations throughout the state including “MOT On the Road” informational meetings in Bangor, Farmington, Bath and Old Orchard Beach; at the Aroostook County Tourism Summit, PenBay Chamber Tourism Summit, and Downeast and Acadia Regional Tourism Annual Meeting; and in meetings with the Maine Tourism Association, Maine Arts Commission, Cultural Affairs Committee, Ski Maine, the Wells, Kennebunk/Kennebunkport, Scarborough and Boothbay Area Chambers of

Commerce, and the Maine Public Relations Council. Regular participation in various organizations’ board/advisory/coordinating committees: Maine Sports Commission, Maine Woods Consortium, USM Tourism & Hospitality Program, Experience Maritime Maine and many of Maine’s cultural organizations. Met quarterly to provide office updates and discuss industry issues with the Maine Tourism & Hospitality Alliance which includes Maine Tourism Association, Maine Innkeepers Association, Maine Restaurant Association, SkiMaine, Maine Campground Owners Association and Retail Association of Maine. Assisted over 300 businesses and organizations with website and event listings on VisitMaine.com. Participated in the Moosehead Lake Branding Rollout in Greenville with Roger Brooks and the Branding Committee, and gave ongoing support to the local brand development and leadership teams in carrying out their action plan. Attended advisory meetings with the Maine Birding Trail, the Maine Outdoor Coalition, Maine Bike Coalition, and the Acadia Centennial Marketing Committee. Joined industry members at the Greater Bangor CVB annual awards dinner, Greater Portland CVB Annual Meeting, the Maine Restaurant Association Annual Awards Banquet, the Maine Innkeepers Annual Meeting, the Maine Beaches Conference, Maine Professional Guides Association Annual Meeting, Maine Development Foundation Annual Meeting, the Maine Woods Consortium Retreat and the Maine Sports Commission Summit among others. Director represents Maine on the US Travel Association (USTA) Board of Directors as Member-at-Large, member of the National Council of State Tourism Directors, and as Chair of the board of Discover New England.

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Industry cont Support

The Maine Film Office website has been re-concepted and redesigned. The new site launched in December, featuring expansive, inviting imagery of Maine in a new mobile-friendly architecture. New features include text and video testimonials along with photo and video galleries. The Maine Film Office now has the ability to edit and update all content, including the blog-like Film News page, staying current with the always-evolving industry. Filmmakers are able to register their productions right on the site, streamlining the process. Users can continue to create property, business and crew listings. The site also acts as a library of film resources and popular Maine filming locations.

MARKETING • The Maine Film Office promoted Maine as a filming location to top filmmakers and industry VIP’s at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Toronto Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival and the Association of Film Commissioners International Locations show in Los Angeles.

• The festivals are attended by more than 5,450 industry delegates and provide meeting and networking opportunities over the course of the festival with studios, industry leaders, filmmakers and show runners from 80 countries.

• Maine Film Office co-hosted an annual

Annual

Maine filmmaker event at the Maine International Film Festival, the “Making it in Maine Day” and met with other filmmakers in attendance to promote Maine as a filming destination.

• Outreach efforts to visual media production companies include contact with productions in the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany and France.

27 • The Director of the Film Office was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Film Commissioners International—the professional organization for offices from around the world— at the 2015 Cineposium on Film Tourism.

P R O D U C T I O N A S S I S TA N C E • In 2015, four productions applied for and were certificated as qualified for The Maine Attraction Film Incentive Plan.

• Assisted over 200 productions scouting or filming in Maine, including independent features, TV series and pilots, commercials, documentaries, short films, student films, network news features and other projects in development.

• Updated the MFO website to highlight the many resources available in Maine to productions scouting for locations.

• 8 independent films that were all in post-production January 2015. The Film Office assisted 200 productions scouting or filming in Maine: • 88 Independent Films

• 18 documentaries • 24 TV series • 29 TV series episodes • 3 Web series • 2 mini series • 3 TV pilots • 1 TV film • 6 shorts • 6 student films • 13 commercials • 3 still photo shoots • 1 PSA • 1 Network News Feature

MAINE-MADE FILM HAS WORLD PREMIERE • A Maine-made film, “Five Nights in Maine” with breakout star David Oyelowo (“Selma”) had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

FILMED IN MAINE: • History Channel’s “American Pickers” • NBC’s “World of Adventure” featuring a kayak expedition through Maine

• Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise” • Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible” • HGTV’s “Island Life” • Cooking Channel’s “Taco Food Truck 2” • Cooking Channel’s “Extra Virgin” with Debi Mazar from Goodfellas

• Holiday TV Movie “Button Girl” with Kate Winslet narrating and starring Jane Seymour, Charles Shaughnessy and Dick Van Dyke.

Maine Film Office co-hosted an annual Maine filmmaker event at the Maine International Film Festival, the “Making it in Maine Day” and met with other filmmakers in attendance to promote Maine as a filming destination. Maine Films Released:

• “The Congressman” which filmed interior scenes in the Maine State House, Monhegan Island and Rockland. It stars Treat Williams and George Hamilton.

• “Astrea” filmed in Sweden and the surrounding area and stars Scotty Crowe.

• “Bluebird” – an indie film made in Maine by a native Maine filmmaker – will tour Maine as it opens nationwide.

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